DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 3/13/2024 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 5 recites “each of date signal wirings” in line 2. The grammar is incorrect, examiner suggests “each data signal wiring”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1 through 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the plurality of scanning signals" in line 12. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The examiner suggests “the plurality of scanning signal wirings”
Claim 5 recites “a routed wiring portion” in lines 2 and 3. It is unclear whether this refers to “a routed wiring portion recited in claim 1 line 10.
Claims 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 8 9 are rejected as being dependent on and incorporating claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Rejection Note: Italicized and struck through claim limitations indicate limitations that are not explicitly disclosed in the primary reference, but disclosed in the secondary reference(s).
Claim(s) 1 through 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (US 2017/0162637) in view of Koide (US 2022/0019306).
Regarding claim 1.
Choi teaches
A display device (fig 1,2:1; [para 0067]) having a display area (fig 2:DA; [para 0076]) including: a plurality of scanning signal wirings (fig 2,3a:SLi; [para 0080]);
a plurality of data signal wirings (fig 2,3a:DLj; [para 0081]) intersecting with the plurality of scanning signal wirings (fig 2,3a:SLi; [para 0080]);
and a plurality of subpixel circuits (fig 1:PX; [para 0067]) each disposed to a corresponding one of a plurality of intersections of the plurality of scanning signal wirings (fig 2,3a:SLi; [para 0080]) and the plurality of data signal wirings (fig 2,3aDLj; [para 0081]), the display device (fig 1,2:1; [para 0067]) comprising a first region (fig 2,3a:TH; [para 0077]) and a second region (fig 2,3a:NA1; [para 0079]) not provided with the plurality of subpixel circuits (fig 1:PX; [para 0067]), the first region (fig 2,3a:TH; [para 0077]) being surrounded with the second region (fig 2,3a:NA1; [para 0079]) and the second region (fig 2,3a:NA1; [para 0079]) being surrounded with the display area (fig 2:DA; [para 0076]), wherein, when viewed in a direction (fig 2,4:3rd direction) perpendicular to the display area (fig 2:DA; [para 0076]), each of a plurality of signal wirings (fig 2,3a:SLi; [para 0080]) includes a routed wiring portion that bypasses the first region (fig 2,3a:TH; [para 0077]) and passes through the second region (fig 2,3a:NA1; [para 0079]), the plurality of signal wirings (fig 2,3a:SLi; [para 0080]) at least including: scanning signal wirings included in the plurality of scanning signals;
or data signal wirings (fig 2,3aDLj; [para 0081]) included in the plurality of data signal wirings (fig 2,3aDLj; [para 0081]), and the display device (fig 1,2:1; [para 0067]) comprises a portion of the routed wiring portion in a width direction (fig 3a:1st direction; [para 0088]), and formed to overlap with another portion of the routed wiring portion in the width direction (fig 3a:1st direction; [para 0088]).
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Choi does not teach a dummy contact hole.
Koide teaches:
the display device (fig 2:PNL; [para 0026]) comprises a dummy contact hole (fig 6:CHD; [para 0070]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a dummy contact hole between wirings in order to reduce parasitic capacitance between signal lines (paragraph 4).
Regarding claim 2.
Choi in view of Koide teaches the display device according to claim 1, further
Choi teaches:
the routed wiring portion so that the portion of the routed wiring portion in the width direction is left on opposing sides .
Koide teaches
the dummy contact hole (fig 6:CHD; [para 0070]) is formed into a slit (fig 6:SPL; [para 0089]) along the wiring portion (fig 6:TLG1-2; [para 0062]) so that the portion of the wiring portion (fig 6:TLG1-2; [para 0062]) in the width direction is left on opposing sides of the dummy contact hole (fig 6:CHD; [para 0070]).
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Regarding claim 3.
Choi in view of Koide teaches the display device according to claim 1, further
Choi teaches:
an end of the routed wiring portion in the width direction.
Koide teaches:
the dummy contact hole (fig 6:CHD; [para 0070]) is formed to overlap with an end of the wiring portion (fig 6:TLG1-2; [para 0062]) in the width direction (fig 6:X; [para 0027]).
Regarding claim 4.
Choi in view of Koide teaches the display device according to claim 1, further
Choi teaches:
a longitudinal direction (fig 2,3a:2nd direction; [para 0089]) of the plurality of signal wirings (fig 2,3a:DLj; [para 0081]) with respect to the first region (fig 2,3a:TH; [para 0077]).
Koide teaches:
the dummy contact hole (fig 6:CHD; [para 0070]) is disposed perpendicularly (fig 6:Z; [para 0027]) to a longitudinal direction (fig 6:Y; [para 0027]) of the plurality of signal wirings (fig 6:TLG1-2; [para 0062]).
Regarding claim 5.
Choi in view of Koide teaches the display device according to claim 1, further
Choi teaches:
each of data signal wirings included in the plurality of data signal wirings (fig 2,3a:DLj; [para 0081]) includes a routed wiring portion that bypasses the first region (fig 2,3a:TH; [para 0077]) and passes through the second region (fig 2,3a:NA1; [para 0079]), and first scanning signal wirings of the scanning signal wirings included in the plurality of the scanning signal wirings (fig 2,3a:SLi; [para 0080]) are connected to one (fig 2,3a:20; [para 0070]) of a pair of gate drivers (fig 2,3a:20,30; [para 0070]) arranged at opposing sides of the display area (fig 2:DA; [para 0076]), and second scanning signal wirings of the scanning signal wirings included in the plurality of the scanning signal wirings (fig 2,3a:SLi; [para 0080]) are connected to another one (fig 2,3a:30; [para 0070]) of the pair of gate drivers (fig 2,3a:20,30; [para 0070]).
Regarding claim 6.
Choi in view of Koide teaches the display device according to claim 1, further
Choi teaches:
the first region (fig 2,3a:TH; [para 0077]) is provided with a camera hole for imaging (fig 17a; [para 0173]).
Regarding claim 7.
Choi in view of Koide teaches the display device according to claim 1, further
Choi teaches:
a spacing between routed wiring portions adjacent to one another and passing through the second region (fig 2,3a:NA1; [para 0079]) is narrower than a spacing between the signal wirings (fig 2,3aDLj; [para 0081]) adjacent to one another and passing through the display area (fig 2:DA; [para 0076]), the routed wiring portions being included in the routed wiring portion.
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Regarding claim 8.
Choi in view of Koide teaches the display device according to claim 1, further
Choi teaches:
each of the plurality of subpixel circuits (fig 1:PX; [para 0067]) includes: a control circuit including a transistor (fig 6:T1; [para 0106]);
a reflective electrode (fig 6:121; [para 0120]); a light-emitting element (fig 6:122; [para 0121]); and a transparent electrode (fig 6:123; [para 0122]).
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (US 2017/0162637) in view of Koide (US 2022/0019306) as applied to claim 1 and further in view of Xu (US 2022/0181357)
Regarding claim 9.
Choi in view of Koide teaches the display device according to claim 1, further
Choi teaches:
the scanning signal wirings (fig 2,3a:SLi; [para 0080]) .
Choi in view of Koide does not teach the scanning signal wirings are in the routed wiring portion.
Xu teaches:
each of the scanning signal wirings (fig 6:1351,1353; [para 0035]) included in the plurality of scanning signal wirings (fig 6:135; [para 0035]) includes the routed wiring portion (fig 6,7:1352; [para 0035]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for the scanning signal wirings to included the routed wiring portion so that the scanning signal wirings can bypass the camera hole (paragraph 6).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID J GOODWIN whose telephone number is (571)272-8451. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 11:00 - 19:00.
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/D.J.G/Examiner, Art Unit 2817
/Kretelia Graham/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2817